Bible Prophecy Archives - Worlds Last Chance

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the-amillennial-view-of-the-binding-of-satan

We turn this address to Revelation 20:1- 6, mainly focusing on the “binding of Satan” for a thousand years. First, two points of explanation for this lecture’s title:

The soteriological work of Christ by which He destroyed the work of the devil and bound him should be the object of rejoicing for any serious, Bible-believing Christian.

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan image

1. I do not claim by this title that only Amillennialists view the Devil as bound. The soteriological work of Christ by which He destroyed the work of the devil and bound him should be the object of rejoicing for any serious, Bible-believing Christian. Instead, the word amillennial here is meant to highlight the symbolic interpretation I give to Revelation 20 as a whole and the binding of Satan in particular. As an amillennialist, I view Revelation 20’s reference to a thousand-year millennium as a symbolic number rather than a literal thousand-year period (Hence, ‘a’-millennialist, meaning “no millennium”), and the binding of Satan for those thousand years as a symbolic reference as well.

2. However, such a symbolic interpretation of the thousand years in Rev. 20 does NOT mean that I view Revelation 20 as empty of significance or deny the reality that the thousand years is intended to signify. The thousand years symbolize something of utmost importance for all Christians, namely, the present reign of King Yahushua over all His enemies. Perhaps then a better word than ‘amillennialism’ (which by the privative ‘a’ may imply to some that we don’t believe anything about the millennium) would be what Jay Adams has called “realized millennialism,” i.e., the view that we are in the millennium of Revelation 20 now and there is not a literal millennium to come before the Last Judgment – precisely because no such literal millennium is needed: Christ is already reigning with His saints and Satan is already bound!

This, then, is the good news. The present and future success of Christ’s kingdom is now ensured. Why? Because Satan is a defeated foe, plundered by Christ and bound already, as Revelation 20:2 makes clear. But some would disagree with my conviction that Satan is already bound and the millennium has begun. I have in mind the premillennial dispensationalist who believes that only Christ’s second coming will usher in the millennium of Revelation 20:1-9. In their view, Christ must return to earth again to bind Satan. Then the reign of Christ’s kingdom on earth for a thousand years will begin, and then will the nations be ‘undeceived’ (Rev. 20:3). Until Christ’s return, Satan is actively deceiving the nations, hindering the gospel and ravaging the church sufficiently to prevent the reign of King Yahushua from taking place on earth. But after Christ returns, He will reign with His saints from Jerusalem for a thousand years (Rev.20:4-9). Proponents of this view are, therefore, called premillennialists because they believe that Christ’s Second Coming must take place before Satan is bound, the kingdom of Yahuwah is established, and the millennium is inaugurated.

The present and future success of Christ’s kingdom is now ensured. Why? Because Satan is a defeated foe, plundered by Christ and bound already, as Revelation 20:2 makes clear.

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan image

Now, many comments come to mind about this idea that only Christ’s second coming will effectively bind Satan and bring the kingdom to earth. But I want us to think about how this premillennialist dispensationalist view renders the kingdom of Yahuwah on earth non-existent today. Adherents of this view say that the nations in Rev. 20:3 are so deceived and Satanically incapacitated as to make it impossible for the kingdom of Yahuwah to be established on earth at this time. For them, the kingdom is a future hope of which the church of today is not a part! In fact, according to these dispensationalists, the separation between the church of today and the future kingdom of the millennium is so complete that they divide the Bible into two books: the Book of the Kingdom and the Book of the church, with a different gospel for each of these ages: the gospel of free grace which the church is to preach today and the gospel of the kingdom which will be preached after Christ returns and the kingdom millennium begins.

But for now, the kingdom of Yahuwah and the good news of its arrival on earth is non-existent. Only after the Church is raptured up to heaven and Satan is bound in the bottomless pit will the Gentile world have an unfettered opportunity to know the full earthly reign of Christ in their lives. This will be the incredible conversion of the Gentile world, the “7th dispensation”, the “kingdom dispensation,” when Christ will take the kingdom covenanted to David and bring it to earth successfully for the first time. Only then will Old Testament prophecies of the kingdom’s coming be fulfilled.

Pause and take that in. Here are people, in fact, many American Christians, who truly believe that Satan must be bound at some future return of Christ before the promises of the kingdom on earth can be fulfilled and before the gospel can indeed be effective in the conversion of the nations. Until then, the nations are so deceived that evidence of Christ’s reign on earth will be meager as society goes from bad to worse. Such folk, like my dear grandmother, grimly concluding that the “end must be near,” seek to escape from this world’s problems by hoping that the rapture is about to happen. You see, there is no hope in this view for the nations to be undeceived now, for the gospel to have worldwide success, progress, and growth now.

But it gets worse: at least some dispensationalists think that Christ indeed did attempt to bring the kingdom of Yahuwah to earth at His first coming but could not establish it in the face of human disobedience and sin. According to premillennial dispensationalist Dave Hunt, quoted by Bruce Barron in his book Heaven on Earth, Yahuwah had a “thorough-going change of plans” after Yahushua could not overcome the antagonism of the Jews. According to Barron, Hunt claims, “Yahushua came to earth initially at the Incarnation to inaugurate the kingdom of Yahuwah but, when rejected by the Jews, narrowed his agenda and called forth the church instead.” Barron shockingly then concludes, taking his cue from Dave Hunt: “Dispensationalists assume that human disobedience can cause Yahuwah to make considerable midcourse adjustments.”

Now, apart from the weighty Theological problems that such an ‘Open’ view of Yahuwah invites, there is the narrow question as to whether Christ really did view His inauguration of the kingdom of Yahuwah as such a failure and whether He viewed the calling forth of the church as a parenthetical afterthought or ‘plan b’? What was Yahushua’s view of His present kingly rule over the nations?

“All authority is given unto Me.” Here, Christ claims the legal right, ability, and power to do as He pleases with the heavens and the earth.

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan image

In answer to such questions, take Yahushua’s view of the present state of the kingdom when He speaks to His church in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority is given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and makes disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Notice especially the breadth of authority upon which Christ bases His Great Commission in Matthew 28:18’s claim, “All authority is given unto Me.” Here, Christ claims the legal right, ability, and power to do as He pleases with the heavens and the earth. The authority is His to do what He wants. What, then, does He want to do in Matthew 28:19-20? He wants the nations to be discipled and “taught to observe all the things which He has commanded.” Is He going to allow the Devil, then, to continue to deceive the nations and thereby hinder His desire for the discipling and incorporation of the nations into His church?

Moreover, Yahuwah the Father appears to be just as determined as His Son to see the reign of His kingdom and the binding of Satan realized on earth here and now. Consider, for example, Psalms 2:7 & 8, interpreted as describing Christ’s resurrection victory in Acts 13:30-33. Christ was publicly declared to be the Son of Yahuwah by resurrection. What does Yahuwah the Father intend to do for the Son since He has risen from the dead, victorious over His enemies? The answer is found in Psalm 2:8: “Ask of Me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.”

When did the Son take His opportunity to make this request to rule over the nations? Indeed, at His ascension, forty days after resurrection. Remember what Christ says to the church as He prepares to ascend, echoing the language of authority and power in the Great Commission? “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) After Pentecost, this promise of power for the church was fulfilled, when the Holy Spirit was poured out by Christ from His ascended glory in heaven (Acts 2:33).

How, then, did the Church interpret the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost? Did they view themselves as merely a parenthesis, in survival mode, waiting for the rapture, waiting for the real inbreaking of the kingdom of Yahuwah after Christ’s second coming? Evidently not, for in Acts 4:24-29 the church quotes the same Psalm about Christ inheriting the nations, interprets their struggle in terms of that Psalm, and prays for boldness to witness to the men whom Christ has been given as His inheritance, whether they be found in “Jerusalem, Judea or the ends of the earth”! The early church did not agree with Dave Hunt’s contention that Yahuwah had to change his plans and postpone His Davidic, Messianic promises of earthly rule until the millennium. They speak as if Yahuwah’s words from David’s lips in Psalm 2 are already being fulfilled in their midst!

How did the Church interpret the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost? Did they view themselves as merely a parenthesis, in survival mode, waiting for the rapture, waiting for the real inbreaking of the kingdom of Yahuwah after Christ’s second coming?

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan image

But I still hear the skeptical voice of concern. “What about the binding of Satan? Is he not a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour? Is not Satan’s sway over the world, demonstrated by the rise of all sorts of evil in our midst, proof that Yahushua couldn’t overcome the disobedience of the nation of Israel and the Satanic blindness of the nations and therefore inserted the church age as a stop-gap while kingdom plans were ‘put on hold’? It still appears that Yahuwah had to change His plan from the initial, prophetic inauguration of the kingdom of David to merely gathering a few converts into a temporary institution called the church.” (Moreover, to make this potential objection even more potent, we could add that many consider the binding of Satan in Rev. 20:2-3 as far different in its finality than any earlier defeat of Satan mentioned in Scripture because it says that Satan is “thrown into a bottomless pit.) “That,” many premillennialists would say, “has not happened yet.”

But do you realize that Yahushua Himself viewed Satan as definitively bound by the inbreaking of the kingdom of Yahuwah among men during his ministry? See how Yahushua reasons with his foes in Matthew 12:28-29: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of Yahuwah, surely the kingdom of Yahuwah has come upon you. Or, how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man?”

Here, Christ is arguing that his power over the demonic world, far from being proof of his alliance with Satan, is proof of Satan’s defeat. He is declaring that He has bound the strong man. Yes, to be sure, Christ acknowledges that Satan still has an organized kingdom, which “stands” according to Matthew 12:26. Nothing Yahushua says implies that Satan will henceforth be inactive in this world. But he is bound and defeated to the extent that he cannot stop the arrival or advance of the kingdom of Yahuwah. “The kingdom has come.” The proof of this, Yahushua points out, is that Satan cannot stop the deliverance of those who had been previously under his domination.

So, yes, Yahushua acknowledges that the kingdom of Satan is still “standing.” And we would agree with those who say there are components of the glorious victory of Christ over all his enemies that await the second coming. But I don’t believe such a consummation includes the binding of Satan in Revelation 20:2-3.

So, yes, Yahushua, Paul, and Jude all acknowledged that there is a time when Christ’s victory will be consummated, and Satan’s activity will finally cease. Satan himself will be thrown into the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). But even now, he is bound and unable to stop the arrival and advance of the kingdom. That is the great Christian hope for every believer, whether postmillennial, amillennial, or classic premillennial.

Now, before summing up this lecture, let me give you two final words of application:

Precisely because Satan is bound and the kingdom has come, do not be afraid of laboring for the Gospel wherever Yahuwah places you.

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan image

1. Precisely because Satan is bound and the kingdom has come, do not be afraid of laboring for the Gospel wherever Yahuwah places you. There is no place too desolate, wicked, hard, or difficult for the church to claim as its place in Yahushua’s name. Every square inch already belongs to King Yahushua.

2. Because Satan is bound, he is a more dangerous foe than before for those unaware of his stratagems. . . . He now resists as a wounded animal whose viciousness is more dangerous precisely because he knows he is dying! Such thoughts should temper any triumphalism in our hearts, make us diligent to be “aware of Satan’s devices” (2 Cor. 2:11) and realistic about the effort needed to claim this world for Christ. The mopping up activity with which we are now charged as the victorious church is to be carried out in just the same costly way as the victory by Christ was won: through suffering, through the blood of the martyrs, through the church demonstrating her likeness to Christ by carrying her cross – these are the ways victory is accomplished. As Yahushua Himself said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. Remember the word that I have spoken to you. No servant is greater than His master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 16:18, 20).

To sum up, listen to these words from two Scots who have enjoyed fruitful but costly years of service in the kingdom: first, words regarding the costliness of this victory from my beloved Pastor in seminary, the late William Still: “As Christians who triumph in this world through Yahushua Christ, we are given intelligence from [Yahuwah] in respect of the world we live in through which, on the ground of Christ’s victory given to us, we look to see that victory wrought out in our circumstances. This does not always mean we can take the enemy by the ‘scruff of the neck’ and cast him out. That was not how it was with [Yahushua]: He did so in the Temptation in the wilderness, but not on the Cross. He went through death and conquered by overcoming death. We also may have to die many deaths, but we will overcome them in the resurrections of survival and fruitfulness, which will ensue through faith that refuses to be defeated, even in death! “

Listen finally to Sinclair Ferguson, who sums up the victorious fruit of Christ’s present inauguration of His kingdom and His present binding of Satan as follows:

1. The kingdom of [Yahuwah] is here now. Live in it (even if things never get any better).
2. The time to reach the nations is now because the deception of the nations is removed. Go to it.
3. Christ is worth dying for in this world. Therefore, live for Him.

Any eschatological view that doesn’t adhere to these three main points is less than it should be. May Yahuwah give us the grace to live in Yahuwah’s kingdom now, go to the nations with the Gospel now, and be willing to “die many deaths” to serve Christ with all our lives now.

This is a non-WLC article by Rev. Carl A. P. Durham.

We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team

The Amillennial View of the Binding of Satan

[Verse 1]
Like a flash from the heavens, the power descends,
As the kingdom of darkness completely amends.
By the decree of Yahuwah, the dragon is bound,
And his chains are now rattling deep in the ground.
For the cross of Yahushua shattered his might,
And the nations are flooded with glorious light.

[Chorus]
Oh, rejoice in the triumph, the kingdom is here,
For Yahuwah has driven out shadow and fear!
See Yahushua reigning in glory and grace,
While the enemy cowers in shackles and space.
It is realized now, it is vibrant and true,
And the reign of the Savior makes all things anew!

[Verse 2]
Not a literal count of a thousand long years,
But a number symbolic of wiping our tears.
By the word of Yahuwah, the ages are planned,
And the scope of the vision is perfectly grand.
King Yahushua governs the quick and the dead,
With the crown of the universe bright on His head.

[Bridge]
Though the skeptics may say that the millennium fails,
It is present and powerful, truth that prevails.
For Yahuwah has spoken, the judgment is set,
And the trap for the devil is perfectly met.
Now Yahushua crushes the ancient deceit,
With the foe of the gospel cast down at His feet.

[Outro]
Let the church raise her voice to Yahuwah on high,
As the banners of victory wave in the sky.
For Yahushua conquers and breaks every chain,
In the joy of this glorious, permanent reign.
He is bound in the pit; he can never deceive,
For the truth of the kingdom is what we believe!

Does Daniel 12:2,3,12 refer to the General Resurrection and the Final Judgment?

While the allusion to Daniel 12:1 in Matthew 24:21,22 strongly points to fulfillment by AD 70, the following two verses in Daniel 12:2,3 refer to the General Resurrection, the Last Judgment, and the Everlasting Kingdom. Daniel 12:2,3 is one of the most frequently used proof texts for these eschatological events. This is undoubtedly one of the most challenging passages in Daniel to interpret from a preterist perspective.

Does Daniel 12:1 speak of events in the first century only to jump thousands of years in the future to speak of events at the end of human history in Daniel 12:2,3? Let’s look at how Daniel uses parallelism throughout the chapter. It becomes apparent that the purpose is not to point to a General Resurrection but to say that the prophecy would be fulfilled long after Daniel had died in the “end of days.”

In short, the passage shows that Daniel and the Jews of that era certainly believed in a General Resurrection and a Final Judgment, and the language does refer to these two great events that are yet in our future.

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective image

In short, the passage shows that Daniel and the Jews of that era certainly believed in a General Resurrection and a Final Judgment, and the language does refer to these two great events that are yet in our future. But the allusion to a final Resurrection and Judgment is used to delineate the “wise” from the “wicked” – between those who would “understand” the prophecy and receive their inheritance of everlasting life – and those who would not understand and suffer “everlasting contempt” at the Final Judgment. From a preterist viewpoint, the confusing portion is the elaboration on what will happen “at that time,” which then speaks of the dead awakening.

And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Everyone who is found written in the book.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:1b-3).

In John chapter 5, there appears a passage in which Yahushua speaks of the resurrection of the dead. When we compare this to Daniel 12:2, we find almost the same language used to describe the resurrection.

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28,29).

The problem here is that the first sentence of Daniel 12:1 also begins with the words, “At that time …”I previously showed how this is referred to by Yahushua in Matthew 24:21,22 and that this was most likely fulfilled by the Jewish-Roman War and the Judean Christians’ Flight to Pella.

In John 5:28,29, Yahushua also clearly refers to Daniel 12:2,3 to speak of the General Resurrection.

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective image

Now here is the conundrum from a preterist perspective. It is easy to conclude that the righteous rising to eternal life is a metaphor here for the “New Birth” that would be manifest in the time of the ministry of Yahushua Christ and the Apostles in the first century. However, there is also the inclusion of those who awaken to “shame and contempt.” In John 5:28,29, Yahushua also clearly refers to Daniel 12:2,3 to speak of the General Resurrection. But note here that the phrase in 12:1b repeats the same time indicator. This would also occur, “at that time.” Yahushua also uses the 12:1 reference in Matthew 24:21,22 to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Should we assume that the General Resurrection and Final Judgment of all the righteous and the wicked in all history occurred “at that time” in the first century? Although many hyper-preterists hold to this solution, this view is outside the pale of orthodox Christianity. My solution to this “problem verse” is that Daniel mentions the judgment of the wicked as a parallelism — as a contrast to the temporal and eternal rewards received by the wise. The temporal reward for the righteous is wisdom, understanding and knowledge of Yahuwah, while their eternal reward is glorification. This is similar to the previous passage in Daniel 11:32-35 which repeatedly contrasts the wise with the wicked.

A. 11:32 – Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery;

B. but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

11:33 – And those of the people who understand shall instruct many;

A. yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.

11:34 – Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue.

B. 11:35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

Note that in Daniel 11:32-35, there is an A,B,A,B parallel structure that contrasts the destinies of both the wise and the wicked. In “A,” the wicked are described as those Jews who became “corrupted” in the Maccabean era and “fell by the sword,” yet persisted in “intrigue,” meaning power struggles. In “B,” the wise are characterized as “strong” and suffering persecution to “purify them.” Yahuwah will use trials and tribulations to “purify” the wise, while the wicked will be led astray and will “fall by the sword.”

Throughout chapter 12, there is also a similar parallel structure, which explains that the fiery trials faced by the people of Yahuwah serve the two-fold purpose in purging those who do wickedly and purifying those who are wise.

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective image

Throughout chapter 12, there is also a similar parallel structure, which explains that the fiery trials faced by the people of Yahuwah serve the two-fold purpose in purging those who do wickedly and purifying those who are wise. Daniel 12:1-4 gives us the three main ideas of the chapter that are emphasized a total of four times in the chapter.

Yahuwah’s people will be delivered at the time of the end.
There will be a final time of testing that will reveal both the righteous and the wicked.
The time of the end is not for many days, so the book of prophecy is sealed until that time.

A. 12:1 – “At that time,” the time of the end, the Messiah will come.

B. Yahuwah’s people will be tested.

C. Those who are faithful will be delivered.

CC. 12:2 – Those who are unfaithful will receive everlasting judgment.

BB. 12:3 – The time of testing will reveal the glory of the Lord in Yahuwah’s people.

AA. 12:4 – The prophecy must be sealed by Daniel because it is not yet “the time of the end.”

What follows in Daniel 12 are more repetitions of these same three ideas. These recapitulations, parallelisms, or chiasms give the Book of Daniel a sense of completeness. The Fifth Vision ends, and the prophetic promise of salvation for Yahuwah’s people is sealed up.

In my book, In the Days of These Kings, there is a lengthy section outlining Daniel 12’s parallelisms and chiastic structure. Although I cannot repeat my entire interpretation here, I’ll give a few principles to help interpret it.

First, “the time of the end” referred to in Daniel 12:4,8,9,13 is not the “end times,” but the time when the prophecy will be fulfilled. The fulfillment came in the first century “in the days of these kings” (Daniel 2:44) – in the time of the Roman emperors.

Contrasting those who will awake, “Some to everlasting life / Some to shame and everlasting contempt,” is to show that a righteous remnant would be delivered out of the “time of trouble.”

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective image

Second, contrasting those who will awake, “Some to everlasting life / Some to shame and everlasting contempt,” is to show that a righteous remnant would be delivered out of the “time of trouble.” The Great Tribulation, as Yahushua called it, occurs not at the end of time but speaks of the three-and-a-half-year persecution of the Christians under Nero (fall of AD 64 to June 68) and during the three-and-a-half year of the Jewish-Roman War from (spring of AD 67 to mid-September of 70). Although the promise of the Resurrection is referred to here, the First Resurrection occurs during the “time of trouble” (Daniel 12:1). This spiritual rebirth comes with regeneration, not the Second General Resurrection that will occur at the Second Coming. In my previous book, I explained how the First and Second Resurrection – and the First and Second Death – are the same here as in Revelation 20.

Third, the purpose of contrasting the righteous living and dead with the unrighteous living and dead – the wise and the wicked – in Daniel 12:2,3 is reiterated in parallel structure in the promise that “none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (12:9,10).

Finally, Daniel is told a third time not to inquire any further but that he would “arise to [his] inheritance at the end of the days” (12:13). So, if this is consistent with the rest of the passage, what is spoken of here is not the end of human history, but the inauguration of a New Covenant and the deliverance of Yahuwah’s people before the destruction of the Temple. The inheritance spoken of is eternal life; the message of the Gospel – that Yahushua Christ is the fulfillment of eternal life – will be made manifest when the prophecy comes to pass in the “end of days.”

The unrighteous Jews who would “arise” to “shame and everlasting contempt” were not raised from the dead and judged in AD 70. Instead, the General Resurrection of the unrighteous dead and their Final Judgment “to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2) is contrasted as a parallelism with the “wise” who would “shine like the brightness of the firmament … forever and ever” (12:3).

A key to understanding this is not yet the Final Judgment is that Daniel refers to the righteous as “those who turn many to righteousness (12:3). If many people are being turned to righteousness “at that time” by “those of understanding,” then this speaks of the Gospel witness going forward in history.

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective image

A key to understanding this is not yet the Final Judgment is that Daniel refers to the righteous as “those who turn many to righteousness (12:3). If many people are being turned to righteousness “at that time” by “those of understanding,” then this speaks of the Gospel witness going forward in history. In other words, “at the time of the end” when the prophecy is fulfilled, those who are the elect would be delivered. These are those who “understand” the words of Daniel 12:1-3,11-12 and the words of Yahushua in Matthew 24:21,22. They would be enabled through their wisdom to turn many to righteousness even during an ongoing fiery persecution. Their deliverance out of the conflagration that consumed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem foreshadows their deliverance through the Final Judgment into the everlasting Kingdom. This is contrasted with the demise of the wicked in the Final Judgment of eternal hell.

We are told by Hegesippus (quoted in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History) that Christians living in Judea at the time of the Roman invasion in the AD 60s (those who turned many to righteousness) understood the prophecy that the city was about to be destroyed. They fled the city of Jerusalem and eventually settled in Pella. Most of the Jews left in the cities of Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Galilee perished – as many as 1.1 million, according to Josephus. The few left alive were sold into slavery by the Romans. So those who were alive and free after the time of this temporal judgment were Yahuwah’s wise elect who escaped judgment. The wicked Jews during the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 were those who perished. They are those who will rise to eternal shame in the Final Judgment.

This interpretation does not teach a hyper-preterist view that the General Resurrection and the Final Judgment occurred in the first century. On the contrary, it refutes it by showing that Daniel was undoubtedly aware of a General Resurrection, a Final Judgment, and the Eternal Kingdom. However, the purpose of Daniel 12 is not to predict when that will occur but to contrast the moral nature of the Jews who would live in the “end of days” – in the days when the prophecy would be fulfilled – “in the days of these kings” – in the days of the first century Roman emperors.

This is a non-WLC article by Jay Rogers.

Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective

[Verse 1]
Though the city of old met its doom in the past,
The decrees of Yahuwah forever will last.
For the vision of Daniel is deep and profound,
Where the glory and power of Yahushua abound.
The awakening sleepers shall rise from the clay,
When the judgment of history ushers the day.

[Chorus]
Sing triumphantly now to Yahuwah the King,
Let the praises of holy Yahushua ring!
For the wicked will fall to eternal disgrace,
While the wise are exalted to look on His face.
Though the centuries pass, the great promise is sure,
And the kingdom of righteousness shall ever be pure.

[Verse 2]
When the nations are judged by Yahuwah the Great,
Every soul will awake to its permanent fate.
With Yahushua returning to claim all His own,
The deliberately wicked are cast from the throne.
For the end of the days brings the ultimate peace,
Where the trials of mortal existence shall cease.

[Bridge]
Look ahead to the dawn of Yahuwah’s design,
Where the stars of the wise will eternally shine.
By the blood of Yahushua, the victory is won,
And the plan of the ages is perfectly done.
From the dust of the earth all the righteous awake,
For the vow of the Maker He never will break.

[Outro]
Every knee will bow down to Yahuwah in awe,
To abide in the truth of His spiritual law.
We rejoice in Yahushua who conquers the grave,
With the ultimate power to comfort and save.
The dominion is set and the triumph is clear,
As the end of all history finally is here.

Revelation 20:5 “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of Yahuwah and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

The first, and usually only, thing on religion’s mind when approaching this chapter is the concept of a thousand years. This phrase appears six times in verses two through seven. However, attempting to discern the truth from that perspective has made us a confusing mess! The key element in this passage is not the thousand years but rather the first resurrection!

The key element in this passage (Revelation 20:5-6) is not the thousand years but rather the first resurrection!

The First Resurrection image

The Resurrection of the Soul

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Yahuwah: and they that hear shall live.

These are the words of the very Word of Yahuwah Himself, the Lord Yahushua Christ! He, as the Alpha and the beginning, is establishing the doctrinal truth that the sinner is dead! He asserts that the dead sinner’s need is a sovereignly enacted resurrection! This resurrection is performed by the same spiritual method used to raise Lazarus physically. It is the sovereign and therefore effectual word of Christ.

As stated in verse twenty-four above, if one can both hear and believe that word, he has already passed from death to life! He has been spiritually resurrected! The apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians about this same doctrine. In chapter two, verse one, he describes the sinner as dead in trespasses and sins. Then in verses four through six, we read: “But Yahuwah, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Yahushua.”

Therefore, we learn that regeneration is the first resurrection! For it takes Yahuwah’s effectual call into the dead heart of the sinner to give him life, to effect a spiritual resurrection!

Resurrection of the Body

Certainly, there is a physical resurrection. Our Lord also referred to this in the passage as proof that he could resurrect spiritually dead sinners to spiritual life. In verses twenty-eight and twenty-nine of the same passage from John, we read, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice; and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

You will notice that when referring to spiritual resurrection (regeneration), he states that this would begin happening “now!” That is, it would start during his ministry at that point on earth! Additionally, you’ll see that the word “now” is not used in the verses describing the physical resurrection, which would occur at the end of the age. Furthermore, graves are mentioned only in relation to the physical resurrection in verses 28 and 29. The spiritually dead are bound in sin, not in the earth!

We can also observe that the doctrine of the General Resurrection, as articulated by the fathers in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, is supported by these verses. This Confession also cites Acts 24:15, expressing hope toward Yahuwah, which they themselves acknowledge, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. Naturally, we’ve created numerous erroneous interpretations of this since then, especially following the release of the misleading Scofield ‘Bible’!

However, we must accept and understand that our Lord speaks of only one resurrection from the grave, but he clearly refers to two aspects of that resurrection! He states that some will be raised to the resurrection of life, while others will be raised simultaneously to the resurrection of damnation.

The Rest of the Dead

Believers, like those who remain in unbelief, were once under the control of Satan’s influences before their spiritual resurrection. Then they were delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13).

The First Resurrection image

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Rev. 20:5

How do we understand this phrase? We understand it to mean all the unregenerate who were evangelized but remained in unbelief. That is, the rest of those remaining dead in trespasses and sin! The Apostle Paul speaks of this in the second verse of Ephesians 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

Believers, like those who remain in unbelief, were once under the control of Satan’s influences before their spiritual resurrection. Then they were delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). However, unbelievers, having no regeneration or spiritual resurrection, are said to still have Satan’s spirit working death within them. Therefore, those who have been evangelized but remain in unbelief are the rest of the dead.

Blessed and Holy

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of Yahuwah and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. The only thing that makes one blessed and holy is sovereign regeneration. For by it alone, old things pass away and all things become new. Certainly, bringing a dead body out of grace has no ability to achieve that!

1 Cor. 15:50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of Yahuwah; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. It is only those who have experienced regeneration who are changed to a state of holiness!”

But Yahuwah, … Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Only regeneration, or spiritual resurrection, assures that the second death has no power over those who possess it. The second death (Rev. 2:11, 20:14, 15, 21:7, 8) refers to eternal damnation. Only regeneration prevents the soul from facing eternal damnation in the lake of fire! It is clearly stated that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Reigning Priests

Those saved, regenerated in the first resurrection, are then said to be raised up together and made (to) sit together in heavenly places in Christ Yahushua: (Ephes. 2:6). They are reigning priests! They have access to the holy of holies and communion with Yahuwah Himself! Heb. 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yahushua, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of Yahuwah; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

They need not a ‘saint,’ they need not Mary or even a pastor to get them into the glorious presence of the Father. They have Christ and his life within! Therefore they are said to sit in his heavenly places, ruling in spiritual unction throughout the church age.

This is a non-WLC article by Pastor Gene Breed (July 13, 2006).

A key issue for Christians is the binding of Satan. The most common belief is that Satan will be bound in the future after the second coming of Yahushua. This belief has caused Christians to allow Satan much greater authority on earth than he deserves.

Revelation 20:1-3 describes the defeat of Satan by Yahushua.

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended.

In the Old Testament, all the nations except Israel lived in darkness. Satan will never be able to exercise that kind of power again.

The Binding of Satan image

A chain is a symbol of restraining power. It stands for the real, sovereign, and restraining power of Yahushua. Up until the time of the cross, Satan was able to dominate the nations of the earth, but the death of Yahushua defeated him. He has no authority in heaven and can only work by deception. He still works, but his activity is limited. Yahuwah controls him and he cannot dominate the nations as he did previously. In the Old Testament, all the nations except Israel lived in darkness. Satan will never be able to exercise that kind of power again.

This is not a description of some future event. The Bible teaches very clearly that we do not have to wait for Satan to be bound in the future. He was defeated by Yahushua’s victory on the cross. When Yahushua triumphed on the cross, he disarmed Satan and all his powers by making a public spectacle of them (Col 2:15). He had already done everything that needed to be done to secure Satan’s downfall.

The impotence of Satan is demonstrated in Job 1,2. Before Satan could touch anything belonging to Job, he had to get permission from the Lord. He has no power over a righteous man, but the unrighteous are in his power. Because Job was one of the few righteous men in the Old Testament world, Satan could exercise considerable power. In this age, all Christians have been made righteous by the blood of Yahushua. Satan cannot touch them unless he gets permission from the Lord. He is an instrument that Yahuwah used to fulfill his purposes. Satan only has power over those who reject the salvation of Yahushua. Once the majority of people are converted, Satan’s power will be gone. Yahushua has bound him.

The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realize the full extent of what Christ has achieved.

The Binding of Satan image

The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realize the full extent of what Christ has achieved. In binding Satan, Yahushua works through the church. He has placed the chain that binds Satan in the hands of his people. They must restrain Satan’s power over the nations. Yahushua won a judicial victory on the cross. When a decision is made in a court of law, it does not become a fact until the police enforce it. The church has the police power to enforce Yahushua’s judicial victory. Satan will not be fully bound until the church forces him to recognize the sentence that was passed against him at the cross.

The church has the power to bind Satan but is not using the authority that has been given to it. Satan will not be bound in some future event. He will be bound when the church becomes aware of its already binding power and begins to exercise that authority in Yahushua’s name. He said,

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matt 18:18).

Yahushua repeated this statement to show its importance (Matt 16:9). Satan is already bound. Yahushua is waiting for the church to tie him tight. The authority we inherit through sharing in the ascension will become a reality. Yahushua no longer works directly on the earth. He works through the Holy Spirit, moving in the lives of his people. It is the church that must bind Satan tight.

Satan is bound through the proclamation of the gospel. When the seventy disciples returned from their successful preaching mission, Yahushua said,

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:18,19).

As the church successfully proclaims the gospel of the cross, Satan and his angels lose their power over people’s lives.

The Binding of Satan image

As the church successfully proclaims the gospel of the cross, Satan and his angels lose their power over people’s lives. The extension of the gospel’s influence limits their sphere of activity. When all the world is won for Yahushua, there will be no place for Satan on the earth.

The church also binds Satan through spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10-12). When Yahushua ascended on high, all authority was given to him. What many Christians do not realize is that they share that authority. The Bible teaches that,

Yahuwah raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Yahushua (Eph. 2:6).

Not only was Christ raised to a position of authority, but those who are in Christ have also been raised with him in the Spirit. They share in his authority. The church can use this spiritual power to bind Satan. He can only act when sinners give him authority to do so. If the church really understood its privileged place, Satan would be already bound. This is why the saints are pictured as sitting on thrones.

Not only was Christ raised to a position of authority, but those who are in Christ have also been raised with him in the Spirit. They share in his authority.

The Binding of Satan image

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Yahushua and because of the word of Yahuwah. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:4).

Those faithful to Yahushua have been given authority to reign on his behalf. They are the ones who bind Satan.

The crucial question is this: when was Satan bound? The Bible teaches that he was bound at the cross. One last example is Matthew 12:29. Yahushua taught that Satan is bound. He could cast out evil spirits because the strongman had already been bound.

How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? … (Matthew 12:29)

The fact that the early church was able to continue this deliverance ministry is proof that Satan was bound at the cross. We must accept the verdict of the Bible. Yahushua does not have to return to bind Satan. He has already done everything necessary to restrain him. We have to do our part.

This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://www.kingwatch.co.nz/Times_Seasons/False_Teaching/binding_of

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Nicolae Carpathia, Buck Williams, Tsion Ben-Judah—these names kickstarted my ongoing enthusiasm for eschatology, the study of “last things” in Scripture. They are not influential theologians and biblical scholars but characters in the massively popular Left Behind novels. I was raised in the halcyon days of Left Behind mania and read every publication, from the original book to Glorious Appearing.

The biblical book of Revelation has always captivated me. These novels further sparked my imagination by taking the then-confusing imagery of Scripture and mixing it with modern geopolitics (and, I now say, a good bit of fantasy).

I remember picking up the authors’ nonfiction work, Are We Living in the End Times? It detailed the scriptural framework and interpretation that guided the series while asking and answering the titular question of whether we are living in the days of apocalypse.

Specifically, I remember reading their thoughts on the rapture of believers, an event of particular interest. One of those biblical events—like Adam and Eve eating the fruit, Noah’s ark, and Yahushua walking on water—has spread beyond Christendom and permeated popular culture. Even non-Christians have some sense of what it means to be “left behind.” I wanted to know for myself how Scripture describes it.

One page in the book featured a complete list of verses about the rapture. I distinctly remember examining every passage and thinking I needed to be sharper in my biblical insight. I could not figure out how they found the rapture in the verses they listed. I assumed the authors were more intelligent than I was (which is still a safe assumption).

I later realized I held or developed a different view of eschatology and the millennium. The authors of Left Behind wrote from a kind of dispensationalism. Depending on the day, I can convince myself of classic premillennialism or even postmillennialism. But five days out of the week, I land the amillennial position.

Amillennialism and why it matters

What is amillennialism? And does it matter? How does my view of the millennium and the return of Christ affect my Christian life, if at all?

Amillennialism holds that the millennial reign of Christ referenced in Revelation 20 is not a future event but instead began when Christ ascended to the right hand of Yahuwah and was seated on his heavenly throne 2000 years ago.

Because Christ Reigns! Three ways amillennialism impacts my Christian life image

First, a description. Essentially, amillennialism holds that the millennial reign of Christ referenced in Revelation 20 is not a future event but instead began when Christ ascended to the right hand of Yahuwah and was seated on his heavenly throne 2000 years ago. Christ has been reigning since, and we currently live under his heavenly “millennial” reign. So, in contrast to other views, the millennium references not a future, geopolitical reign on earth but a current, universal reign in heaven.

Logically, Christ’s return will not begin a millennial reign but complete it. His return will initiate the resurrection of all humanity, the final judgment, and the new creation of heaven and earth. In the amillennial view, there will be no initial, secret return of Christ rapturing the church before his later public return. Instead, the one return of Christ will be seen by all. Upon his return and judgment, the Lord will call (i.e., rapture) all his saints to him so they may enter the new creation with him in eternal triumph. Hallelujah!

Furthermore, Satan is bound and dethroned during this present millennial reign of Christ. While he is still active in attempting to deceive the nations and accuse the church, his effectiveness has been greatly limited by the victory and enthronement of Yahushua, the King.

So, how does all of this affect my Christian life? Here are three practical applications of this millennium view for your consideration. Other millennial/eschatological positions do not at all deny these three truths. But I do appreciate how amillennialism uniquely emphasizes them.

Our present tribulation

First, amillennialism helpfully accounts for our present tribulations. Some millennial views hold that the great tribulation is a future event. As the millennium approaches, the earth will experience great trials and tribulations, especially for Yahuwah’s people. But if the millennium is not the future, then neither is tribulation. Trouble for Yahuwah’s church is here and now.

In his introduction to Revelation, John refers to himself as “your brother and partner in the tribulation” (Rev. 1:9). According to John, the tribulation is a present reality for the church.

Because Christ Reigns! Three ways amillennialism impacts my Christian life image

Why is that helpful? Because it explains the pain we feel now without promising that things necessarily must get worse. I find it a comfort, pastorally speaking, to tell people that the pains of this life are expected. The trials we experience now are not insignificant. When you are rejected for your faith in Christ or when the doctor says it is terminal, you are experiencing the tribulations spoken of in Scripture. We don’t have to wonder if things will get hard someday. Our trials are current and real now.

Our persecuted brothers and sisters across the world can take comfort in this. It seems an odd thing to tell persecuted believers, losing their lives for the faith, that some future day things will get terrible. For them, the tribulation is now just as it was for the apostolic church.

In his introduction to Revelation, John refers to himself as “your brother and partner in the tribulation” (Revelation 1:9). According to John, the tribulation is a present reality for the church. I find it helpful to know that present suffering is not an unexpected anomaly nor an appetizer for greater future misery. Instead, it is an expected reality of following Christ in this present age. Amillennialism helpfully accounts for our present tribulations.

Christ’s present rule

Second, amillennialism encourages us in Christ’s current and universal reign. If we emphasize Christ’s current heavenly reign, we have great comfort as we walk through the trials of this life. I don’t have to hold out hope that someday Christ will come and set up his throne in Israel. He has already established his throne over every nation. My future hope is not tied to a temporary reign of Christ on earth but is fixated on an eternal reign over a perfected creation.

Because Christ reigns now, missions can be effective. He has all the power and authority to ensure the gospel goes out and souls are saved.

Because Christ Reigns! Three ways amillennialism impacts my Christian life image

Until Christ’s return, Christ truly reigns now over all creation. This is excellent news! Why?

Because Christ reigns now, missions can be effective. He has all the power and authority to ensure the gospel goes out and souls are saved. As I nervously share the gospel with my neighbor or stumble over my words in a sermon or Bible study, I can trust Christ’s heavenly rule and power to effect salvation.

Because Christ reigns now and is seated at the right hand of Yahuwah, I can be sure my sins are forgiven. He has finished the work and taken his seat. There is nothing I need to add to the Lord’s saving work. When I feel deficient, I recall his sufficiency.

Because Christ reigns now, I can be sure the Father hears my prayers as I am united to the Christ who intercedes for me. From his position of rule, Christ speaks on my behalf. When Satan tempts me to despair, accuses me, and condemns me, I know Christ currently rules not just over me but for me.

Amillennialism encourages us in Christ’s current and universal reign while focusing us on our great hope of a perfected eternal creation.

Satan’s present defeat

Finally, amillennialism comforts us in Satan’s present and eventual defeat. Revelation 20 teaches that during the millennium, Satan was bound and prevented from deceiving the nations. It may not be easy to believe what it describes today. It appears deception is alive and well in our time.

The practical upshot is that evil is presently defeated and on a ticking clock. Satan may roar like a lion but cannot stop the gospel’s progress.

Because Christ Reigns! Three ways amillennialism impacts my Christian life image

But while Satan is currently active and prowling around this earth, Scripture also teaches he has been handily dethroned (see Matthew 12:25-29; Mark 3:27; Luke 10:18; John 12:21; Colossians 2:15; and 1 Corinthians 15:24-25). As Martin Luther said, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” In other words, he is currently restricted by the rule of Christ and will be comprehensively defeated upon Christ’s return.

The practical upshot is that evil is presently defeated and on a ticking clock. Satan may roar like a lion but cannot stop the gospel’s progress. Nor can he stop the work of sanctification in me that Christ has begun. He has no legitimate dominion or authority in any sphere of this world. Wherever he operates, Christ rules. So, I have hope for my growth as a Christian and the defeat of personal sin. I have hope for my church’s continued faithfulness because Satan has no dominion there. And I have hope for our gospel witness because the deceiver is being defeated, and Christ is opening blind eyes.

Amillennialism comforts us in Satan’s present defeat. Eventually, that defeat will be final, to the praise of Yahuwah’s grace.

Years after Left Behind, I still have an enthusiasm for eschatology. Part of that fascination is undoubtedly driven by a desire to better understand the more debated portions of Scripture. But as I grow, I am increasingly encouraged by the universally held truths of Christ’s rule and return—truths that encourage all Christians, regardless of their millennial position.

This is a non-WLC article by Aaron Halvorsen.

The 24th chapter of Matthew is one of the most abused passages in the Bible. Premillennialists use this chapter as a springboard for all sorts of fanciful teaching and wild speculation. In this article we want to examine the context of the chapter and see its application to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Before His crucifixion, our Lord went into the temple and denounced its inhabitants as being the “sons of those who murdered the prophets,” a “brood of vipers,” and those destined for the “condemnation of hell” (Matt. 23:31, 33). He ends this scathing rebuke with these words: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'” (Matt. 23:37-39).

As Yahushua left the temple, “His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple” (Matt. 24:1). While gazing upon Herod’s temple, Yahushua told the disciples that the day was coming when “not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24:2). After crossing the Kidron Valley, Yahushua and His disciples sit upon the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and asked, “when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3).

The destruction of the temple was such a notable event that the disciples could only think of it happening in connection with the second coming of Christ. Yahushua clears up their misunderstandings and answers their questions in order. First, He tells them about the various signs which would be given prior to the destruction of the temple. Second, Yahushua explains there will be no signs given prior to His return and the end of the world. The events described in Matthew 24 are also recorded in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36.

Key To The Discourse

It is my contention that everything spoken in Matthew 24:4-35 relates to the destruction of Jerusalem, and that the remainder of the chapter deals with the second coming of Christ. After explaining all of the signs that would happen prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, Yahushua said, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled” (Matt. 24:34). Yahushua warned His followers that Jerusalem would be destroyed within their own generation.

Joseph Henry Thayer defines the Greek word for “generation” as “1. a begetting, birth, nativity 2. passively, that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family the several ranks in a natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy b. metaph. a race of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character; and esp. in a bad sense a perverse race 3. the whole multitude of men living at the same time: Mt. xxiv. 34; Mk. xiii. 30; Lk. i. 48 xxi. 32 4. an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of from 30 to 33 years” (Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament).

W. E. Vine says the word is “connected with ginomai, to become, primarily signifies a begetting, or birth; then that which has been begotten, a family; or successive members of a genealogy or of a race of people, possessed of similar characteristics, pursuits, etc., (of a bad character) or the whole multitude of men living at the same time, Matt. 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 1:48; 21:32 Transferred from people to the time in which they lived, the word came to mean an age, i.e., a period ordinarily occupied by each successive generations, say, of thirty or forty years” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary Of Biblical Words).

A generation is a period of time somewhere between thirty or forty years. Yahushua gave the Olivet discourse in about 30 A.D.; Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, the Roman General, in 70 A.D.

Flavius Josephus

In this article we will be quoting at length from the first century historian Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest who led a revolt against Roman oppression in Galilee. He was captured by the Romans at the fall of Yotapata in 67 A.D., and held as a prisoner in Caesarea till 69 A.D. He returned to Jerusalem with Titus in 70 A.D. and became an eyewitness to the final siege of Jerusalem. Josephus was made a Roman citizen by Vespasian. An excellent biography of Josephus by Steve Mason recently appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review (September/October 1997, pp. 58-69).

Let us now examine the signs Yahushua said would appear prior to the destruction of Jerusalem.

False Christs

Yahushua warned His disciples that “many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matt. 24:5). As predicted by Yahushua, many false prophets did arise.

Josephus claimed that, “there was an Egyptian false prophet that did the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him; these he led round from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that place.” (The Wars Of The Jews, 2:13:5).

Josephus also wrote: “Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their efforts with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and many were deluded by his words.” (The Antiquities Of The Jews, 20:5:1).

Wars And Rumors Of Wars

The disciples were warned that they would “hear of wars and rumors of wars,” and yet Yahushua told them, “See that you are not troubled” (Matt. 24:6). Today, every time a firecracker goes off in Jerusalem some preacher will start sweating and tell his congregation that the end of the world is at hand—you would think the Middle East had never experienced conflict before. It is hard to picture a time more trying than just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Tacitus, a Roman historian, said of this period: “The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time.” (The Histories, 1:2).

Josephus tells of a day in which “the people of Caesarea had slain the Jews that were among them on the very same day and hour [when the soldiers were slain], which one would think must have come to pass by the direction of Providence; insomuch that in one hour’s time above twenty thousand Jews were killed, and all Caesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants.” (Wars, 2:18:1).

Famines And Pestilences

The destruction of Jerusalem was to be preceded by a time of “famines and pestilences” (Matt. 24:7). You do not have to leave the pages of the New Testament to find the fulfillment of this. Luke, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recorded that, “in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.” (Acts 11:27-28).

Josephus tells of queen Helena’s relief effort for Jerusalem. “Now her coming was of very great advantage to the people of Jerusalem; for whereas a famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died for want of what was necessary to produce food withal, queen Helena sent some of her servants to Alexandria with money to buy a great quantity of corn, and others to Cyprus, to bring a cargo of dried figs” (Antiquities, 20:2:5). Tacitus wrote: “Many prodigies occurred during the year. Ominous birds took their seat on the Capitol; houses were overturned by repeated shocks of earthquake, and, as the panic spread, the weak were trampled underfoot in the trepidation of the crowd. A shortage of corn, again, and the famine which resulted, were construed as a supernatural warning.” (The Annals of Imperial Rome, 12:43). Pestilences usually accompany periods of famine.

Earthquakes

In addition to the havoc brought about by famine and pestilences, our Lord said that great earthquakes would shake the region prior to the siege of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:7).

J. Marcellus Kik said, “And as to earthquakes, many are mentioned by writers during a period just previous to 70 A.D. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea. It is interesting to note that the city of Pompeii was much damaged by an earthquake occurring on February 5, 63 A.D.” (An Eschatology Of Victory, p. 93).

Fearful Events From Heaven

In Luke’s account of the Olivet discourse he records the warning of Christ that “there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11).

One night when “there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continual lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and anyone would guess that these wonders foreshadowed some great calamities that were coming.” (Wars, 4:4:5).

On another occasion Josephus wrote: “Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. Thus also, before the Jews’ rebellion so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which light lasted for half an hour Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was of brass armed with iron, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night.” (Wars, 4:4:5).

Gospel Preached To All Nations

Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem the “gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matt. 24:14). This came to pass in the first century. Paul wrote to the saints at Colosse and spoke of gospel “which was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23).

“Tradition assigns the following fields to the various apostles and evangelists: Andrew is said to have labored in Scythia; hence the Russians worship him as their apostle. Philip spent his last years in Hierapolis in Phyrgia. Bartholomew is said to have brought the gospel according to Matthew into India. The tradition concerning Matthew is rather confused. He is said to have preached to his own people, and afterward in foreign lands. James Alphaeus is said to have worked in Egypt. Thaddeus is said to have been the missionary to Persia. Simon Zelotes is said to have worked in Egypt and in Britain; while another report connects him with Persian and Babylonia. The evangelist John Mark is said to have founded the church in Alexandria.” (Lars P. Qualben, History Of The Christian Church).

Stand Before Kings And Rulers

Yahushua told the apostles to “watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them” (Mark 13:9).

You do not have to leave the pages of the New Testament to see the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Peter and John were brought up before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4). Stephen was stoned to death by an angry Jewish mob (Acts 7:54-60). Herod Agrippa “killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also” (Acts 12:2).

Paul stood before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18:12), Felix, a Roman governor (Acts 24), and King Agrippa (Acts 25). Paul was finally allowed to present his case before Caesar himself.

Our Lord predicted the destruction of Jerusalem in the 24th chapter of Matthew. In another article we discussed the setting of the Olivet discourse and noted the signs given in Matthew 24 would come to pass within that generation (Matt. 24:36). We want to continue our examination of the signs given prior to the destruction of the city on 70 A.D.

Abomination In The Holy Place

Yahushua warned his disciples, that, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Matt. 24:15-16).

Josephus, a first century historian, tells of the sad state into which the temple fell prior to the arrival of Titus, the Roman general. “And now, when the multitude were gotten together to an assembly, and every one was in indignation at these men’s seizing upon the sanctuary, at their rapine and murders but had not yet begun their attacks upon them Agnus stood in the midst of them, and casting his eyes frequently at the temple, and having a flood of tears in his eyes he said, ‘Certainly, it had been good for me to die before I had seen the house of Yahuwah full of so many abominations, or these sacred places that ought not to be trodden upon at random, filled with the feet of these bloodshedding villains'” (The Wars Of The Jews, 4:3:10).

Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem the temple became a gathering place for wicked men. Yahushua instructs the disciples that when they see such “abomination of desolation” they were to “flee to the mountains.” This passage does not refer in any way to some future return of our Lord. When this “abomination of desolation” took place, those in “Judea” were to flee to the mountains—not folks living in America today!

Jerusalem Surrounded

In Luke’s account of the discourse, Yahushua also told the disciples that “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.” (Luke 21:20-21).

Here the disciples are warned that when the Roman army was approaching Jerusalem they were to flee for their lives. Christians received ample warning about the approaching invasion. Josephus said, “And now Vespasian had fortified all the places round about Jerusalem, and erected citadels at Jericho and Adida, and placed garrisons in them both And now the war having gone through all the mountainous country, and all the plain country also, those that were at Jerusalem were deprived of the liberty of going out of the city; Now as Vespasian was returned to Caesarea, and was getting ready, with all his army to march directly to Jerusalem, he was informed that Nero was dead Wherefore Vespasian put off at first his expedition against Jerusalem, and stood waiting whither the empire would be transferred after the death of Nero the Roman empire being then in a fluctuating condition, and did not go on with the expedition against the Jews” (The Wars Of The Jews, 4:9:1, 2).

When the legions of Rome finally got to Jerusalem they camped at the Mount of Olives (The Wars Of The Jews, 5:2:3). Immediately after their arrival a trench was cast about Jerusalem. A nine mile long wall was constructed in three days that totally enclosed the city (The Wars Of The Jews, 5:12:2).

Great Tribulation

Yahushua warned His disciples that when the Roman army arrived, those in Judea should flee to the mountains and “let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:17-21).

It is amazing how many people today try to apply these words to a future return of our Lord! What possible difference would it make if Yahushua returns on Saturday or Sunday? What difference could it make if He comes in winter or summer? However, if you were trying to flee from an invading army it would make a great deal of difference, for the gates of the city would be closed on the Sabbath day and there would be no way for you to escape. Fleeing from an invading army would be a lot easier if you did not have a nursing child to tend to.

Sometimes people underestimate to severity of the attack on Jerusalem. Josephus tells how Roman soldiers “went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook, without mercy, and set fire to the houses wither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest; and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper rooms full of dead corpses, that is of such as died by the famine; they then stood in horror at this sight, and went out without touching anything. But although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive, but they ran every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many houses was quenched with these men’s blood.” (The Wars Of The Jews, 6:8:5).

Over one million Jews died at the destruction of Jerusalem—another 97,000 were carried away as slaves!

The Stars Will Fall From Heaven

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matt. 24:29). Premillennialists will often use this passage to “prove” that Matthew 24 is talking about the return of Christ instead of the destruction of the holy city. They will often say, “Just look outside at night—the stars are still in the heavens right now.”

To those unfamiliar with prophetic language the premillennialists sometimes sound convincing. However, a short trip through the Old Testament will show how similar language was used to describe the fall of monarchs and nations. Look at the following examples of Yahuwah’s righteous judgment and see how he describes the fall of national leaders:

Babylon (Isa. 13:10, 13)
Edom (Isa. 34:4-6)
The Peoples (Isa. 51:5-6)
Judah (Jer. 4:1-6, 23-28)
Egypt (Ezek. 32:7-8)
The Nations (Joel 3:15-16)
Nineveh (Nah. 1:1-5)
Israel (Amos 8:1-2, 9)

The Sign Of The Son Of Man

In Matthew 24:30, Yahushua said, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Please notice that Yahushua did not say, “And then shall appear the Son of Man in heaven” or “then shall appear the sign in the heaven(s) of the Son of Man.” The phrase is literally: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven” (Berry’s Interlinear). The phrase “in heaven” denotes the locality of the Son of Man, not the locality of the sign.

The destruction of Jerusalem itself served as a sign of the fact the Son of Man was ruling in heaven, because it was the fulfillment of His prediction (cf. Deut. 18:20-22).

One Stone Not Upon Another

At the very beginning of the Olivet discourse, while looking at the temple, Yahushua said, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matt. 24:2).

Titus, the Roman general, did not want to destroy the temple. In a speech to the Jewish defenders of the city he said, “I appeal to my own army, and the Jews that are now with me, and even to you yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this sanctuary; and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I will endeavor to preserve you your holy house, whether you will or not.” (The Wars Of The Jews, 6:2:4).

However, after the city was taken, he “gave order that they should now demolish the entire city and temple but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited.” (The Wars Of The Jews, 7:1:1). Truly, the words of the prophet came to pass, “Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest” (Micah 3:12).

Significant Contrasts

Sign after sign was given so the disciples would know in advance about the destruction of Jerusalem. Warnings were given so men could flee during those abnormal times when a limited, local judgment of Yahuwah would fall upon Jerusalem.

We now look for the final return of our Lord, “but of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:26). Yahushua will return during normal times and without prior warning. Instead of a limited judgment upon a rebellious nation, “all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32).

This is a non-WLC article by David Padfield.

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The Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 marks a significant and profoundly consequential event in Jewish and Roman history.

This cataclysmic event signaled the end of the First Jewish-Roman War, culminating in the destruction of the Second Temple, the heart of Jewish religious, political, and cultural life.

The fall and its aftermath reshaped the Jewish diaspora, influenced the development of Judaism and Christianity, and marked a victorious yet tumultuous period in the Roman Empire.

Simmering tensions between the Jews and Romans

In the years before AD 70, Jerusalem was immensely significant as the political, cultural, and spiritual center of Jewish life.

The Second Temple, built after the return from the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BC, stood as the focal point of Jewish religious worship.

Judea, the region surrounding Jerusalem, became a client kingdom of Rome in 63 BC after Roman general Pompey’s successful siege of Jerusalem.

Over the next several decades, the relationship between Rome and its Jewish subjects was tense.

A series of Roman governors, perceived by many Jews as corrupt and insensitive to Jewish laws and traditions, exacerbated these tensions.

Additionally, heavy taxes imposed by Rome fueled discontent among the Jewish populace.

The Jewish Revolt (66-70 AD)

The First Jewish-Roman War, often called the Jewish Revolt, began in AD 66.

The revolt was a reaction to a series of political and religious tensions, including instances of Roman misrule and a growing nationalistic fervor among Jewish factions.

The revolt initially saw success for the Jewish rebels, who managed to expel the small Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem.

However, Rome soon dispatched a more significant force to quell the rebellion, setting the stage for the siege and eventual fall of Jerusalem.

The key power-players

Vespasian: The Roman Emperor

Vespasian was the Roman Emperor who initiated the campaign against the Jewish revolt in AD 66. However, during the war, he was called back to Rome amidst a political crisis and subsequently rose to power as emperor in AD 69, leaving his son Titus in charge of the Judean campaign.

Titus: The Roman General

Titus, son of Vespasian, was the Roman general who led the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. He had been serving under his father in the campaign against the Jewish revolt and took command after Vespasian returned to Rome. Titus was known for his military skill and leadership, which was critical in Jerusalem’s successful but brutal siege.

Josephus: The Historian and Witness

Flavius Josephus, originally Yosef ben Matityahu, was a Jewish historian and military leader turned Roman citizen. He initially fought against the Romans during the revolt but surrendered and became a prisoner.

Eventually, he won Vespasian’s favor and served as his interpreter and advisor. Josephus wrote a comprehensive account of the Jewish Revolt, including the Fall of Jerusalem, in his work “The Jewish War.”

His works provide one of this period’s most detailed contemporary accounts, although they must be read critically, considering his complex personal history and the potential for bias.

Jewish Leaders and Factions

At the time of the revolt and the siege, Jerusalem was not unified under a single leader but was home to several Jewish factions.

These included the Zealots, militant nationalists who played a significant role in initiating the revolt against Rome; the Pharisees, who were experts in Jewish law and had a significant religious following; and the Sadducees, who were largely aristocratic priests.

The lack of unity and infighting among these groups contributed to the difficulty in mounting a cohesive defense against the Romans.

The Siege of Jerusalem

destruction-of-jerusalem-Francesco_Hayez

In the spring of AD 70, Titus gathered his forces around Jerusalem. His army consisted of about 60,000 men, including Roman legionaries, auxiliaries, and troops provided by regional allies. The Roman forces were well-equipped and experienced, having been engaged in the Jewish Revolt for several years. Inside the city, the Jewish defenders were in a state of disarray due to infighting among different factions. Despite this, they had prepared for the siege by storing food and fortifying the city’s walls. Jerusalem’s geographical position on high ground and its formidable fortifications presented a significant challenge to the Roman attackers. The siege lasted approximately five months. Initially, the Romans attempted to breach the city walls using siege towers and battering rams.

When this failed, they resorted to a blockade, aiming to starve the city into submission.

The conditions within the city quickly became desperate. Food and water supplies dwindled, and disease spread among the inhabitants. Infighting among the Jewish factions also continued, further weakening the city’s defenses.

According to historical accounts, the Roman soldiers set the Temple on fire, disregarding Titus’s orders to spare it. The Temple, a magnificent structure considered the heart of Jewish religious life, was reduced to ashes.

The cataclysmic siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 and its impact on Judaism and Christianity image

In the summer of AD 70, the Romans finally managed to breach the Third Wall, then the Second, and finally penetrated the heavily fortified First Wall, entering the Upper City.

Slaughter and Destruction

One of the most significant and heart-wrenching events during the fall of Jerusalem was the destruction of the Second Temple.

According to historical accounts, the Roman soldiers set the Temple on fire, disregarding Titus’s orders to spare it. The Temple, a magnificent structure considered the heart of Jewish religious life, was reduced to ashes. This event occurred on the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, a date that is still observed by Jews today as Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning and fasting. The fall of Jerusalem was also accompanied by significant loss of life. Josephus provides an account of the carnage, stating that the Romans killed many of the city’s inhabitants. The exact numbers are disputed and likely exaggerated in Josephus’ account, but it is clear that the scale of the massacre was substantial.

Those who were not killed were taken as slaves, with many sent to the mines of Egypt or sold in slave markets. The Romans thoroughly sacked the city of Jerusalem. Buildings, homes, and walls were torn down, leaving the city in ruins. The level of devastation was such that Josephus claimed that those who visited the city after its destruction could scarcely believe it had ever been inhabited.

The Romans also carried off the treasures of the Temple as spoils of war, including the Menorah, which was famously depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome.

The widespread impacts of the fall

The fall of Jerusalem had dire, immediate consequences for the Jewish people. Thousands had been killed during the siege, and those who survived faced enslavement, exile, or life in a ruined city. The loss of the Second Temple was particularly devastating, as it was not only the center of religious worship but also a symbol of national identity.

It marked the beginning of a long diaspora for Jewish people. With the city in ruins and the Second Temple destroyed, many Jews were displaced, sold into slavery, or chose to leave the region.

They established communities throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, profoundly shaping the Jewish experience and identity.

With the destruction of the temple, the practice of Judaism had to adapt, necessitating a significant shift in religious practice and thought, leading to the development of Rabbinic Judaism

For the Roman Empire, the fall of Jerusalem was a significant victory, strengthening the rule of Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus.

The victory was celebrated in Rome with a triumphal procession, as depicted on the Arch of Titus, and consolidated their power after the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors.

The destruction of Jerusalem also had a profound impact on the early Christian movement. Many followers of Yahushua had fled the city before the siege, spreading their beliefs to other parts of the Roman Empire. For some, the destruction of the Temple and the city validated Yahushua’s prophetic warnings about Jerusalem’s fall.

Christianity began to evolve without a central Jewish authority in Jerusalem and with Jewish communities scattered.

This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/siege-of-jerusalem-ad-70/

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The Ruins of the Ancient City of Pella, in Jordan¹

Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the combined efforts of several Roman Legions conducting a long siege. Yahuwah did not protect His chosen people, nor even the Holy Temple that they had built for Him. The Jewish wickedness of that time had grown far too extensive, and they had crucified His son Yahushua, the son He had sent as their long-awaited Messiah and Savior. The Jews had rejected Yahushua just as Yahushua, during His 3 1/2 years of teaching and ministry, had verbally rejected the behavior of the leaders of the Jewish people.

The Jews had rejected Yahushua just as Yahushua, during His 3 1/2 years of teaching and ministry, had verbally rejected the behavior of the leaders of the Jewish people.

66 A.D. – Jerusalem’s Christians Flee To Pella and the Decapolis Area! image

Yahushua found the Priests’ and Scribes’ behavior evil, self-serving, and far from their Father and Maker’s intentions for them. He rebuked them loudly and publicly for this while performing amazing miracles right in front of them so that they would know who rebuked them.

Instead of repenting, they plotted to kill Yahushua, and when they enacted their plot, Yahushua submitted to this atrocity. In front of Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, a crowd of the Jewish common people – whipped up into a frenzy by their Priests and probably demons as well – shouted out that Rome must crucify Yahushua. And Yahushua was crucified.

As a badly whipped and beaten Yahushua drug His heavy cross to the place called Golgotha (place of the skull), on a hill called Calvary, people believe it was an outsider, not a fellow Jew from Jerusalem or nearby, who helped him carry it when he grew too tired. The man was named Simon and was from the North African nation of Cyrenaica. He converted to Christianity because of this experience and went on with his sons to become a pillar and leader of the Christian church of Antioch. That was the first church where followers of Yahushua were called ‘Christians.’

There in Antioch, Simon would be fondly known by a nickname roughly meaning ‘Blackie’ because of his darker complexion, some old writings say. So if the black Christian community is proud of Barack Obama being President, that’s great. But I hope they are even prouder of this man, Simon, who reached the high station of being the only man known to have physically helped the Lord in His most difficult hour. As for those who gave the Lord drinks of various liquids as He hung on the cross, is it helping to extend the life of one hanging to die on a cross? Maybe they count as helpers, or maybe not.

Yes, Jerusalem sealed its fate in those days and hours. They had often killed the prophets that Yahuwah had sent to them in the days of old, not wishing to be told that their deeds were evil, not wanting to change even if Yahuwah warned them to. Now, they had killed Yahuwah’s Son after beating Him and mocking Him.

While still alive, Yahushua foretold a tremendous future destruction of Jerusalem. He told the people he was speaking to on that day that their generation would not pass away before this occurred.

66 A.D. – Jerusalem’s Christians Flee To Pella and the Decapolis Area! image

While still alive, Yahushua foretold a tremendous future destruction of Jerusalem. He told the people he was speaking to on that day that their generation would not pass away before this occurred. Most of His followers would have been of retirement age (60 – 80 years old) when the destruction came to pass. They’d have been elders, but many would still be alive.

In about 29 A.D., during His ministry, Yahushua once drove out many demons from a possessed man. The Demoniac of the Gadarenes, the man was called. He was a locally famous possessed man there in the region of the Gadarene people. His strength was so unreal that he broke chains! It seemed he couldn’t even be bound – people had tried. He lived wild among burial tombs, apparently quite mad, and sometimes he harmed his flesh until it bled. He was like a proto-type Viking berserker. A man like that would be well-known and famous over a pretty large area.

The Gadarenes, who the scriptures identify as raisers of pigs, are unlikely to have had many practicing Jews among them. They were a gentile people, maybe. Back in the days of the Assyrian conquering and deportation of the Northern ten tribes, around the 720s B.C., many foreigners had been moved into the area that victorious Assyria had moved Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh out of. This area was on the East side of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. This land was once home to giant king Og, and part was once Sihon’s land. But in ancient days, Joshua had conquered it. Perhaps these people were some of those Assyrian transplants since Og and Sihon’s peoples were wholly killed off.

‘Gadarenes’ implies some possible connection with the tribe of ‘Gad,’ though, as Gad had once lived there in that region. Was it only geographical, or were these people fallen away Israelites who no longer obeyed the Jewish dietary laws?

When Yahushua and the Apostles got out of their boat upon landing at the shore of the Gadarene people, this Demon-possessed man ran up to Yahushua and the Apostles.

Yahushua ordered the possessing spirit to identify itself, and it called itself ‘Legion’, saying that there were many spirits, not just one, dwelling inside of the man.

Yahushua ordered them out. They begged to be allowed to enter a herd of thousands of swine rather than be expelled out into the open, where they would (according to some old beliefs) need to find a host or perish.

Yahushua allowed them to enter the swine herd, but the herd ran over the cliff and perished in the sea. Thousands of dead swine floated in the sea – a herdsman’s fortune!- but the man who had been made crazy by all of these demons was now sane and sat near Yahushua’s feet.

And the local people, running to see with their own eyes what the swine herders were telling them, plainly perceived the magnitude of what Yahushua had done. The sea would have been awash with dead pigs. The crazy demon-filled man, once so fearsome to them, now sat quietly at the visitors’ feet.

Later, when Yahushua made another trip to this land, they would eagerly gather to hear His teachings because of this day’s events. But today, they only asked him to leave their country because he had caused disaster. Was each hog worth the equivalent of $100.00 to $300.00 US? If so, then Yahushua had cost their region nearly a million dollars. But they weren’t about to try to harm Yahushua!! Not after what He had done. It is evident to all that this one had great power as they had never seen.

Yahushua left when they asked Him to. The former Demoniac man asked if he could go with His Savior. But Yahushua told him :

‘No. But he should instead go out and tell people what happened – what was done for him.’

Yahushua left, and this man faithfully carried out his assignment because he was grateful for what Yahushua had done for him. He traveled in the region East of the Jordan River, an area called Perea, for some periods just about then. In this region, there were ten crucial cities, which were, as a group, called ‘the Decapolis’ (the 10 Cities). He told people in these cities about Yahushua and what Yahushua had done. And they would have heard this story confirmed by many from the region where it happened once they began to ask if it was true.

The Demoniac spread the news so thoroughly that the next time Yahushua returned to the area, crowds of people came and eagerly listened to His teachings. It had become fertile ground.

And about 40 years later, it would matter quite a great deal that the people of this region had met Yahushua, learned to fear and respect Him, and embraced Him. There were ten cities in the Decapolis. One of these was named Pella. And when the Romans came to destroy Jerusalem in 66 A.D., under the command of Gaius Cestius Gallus, it was to the region of the Decapolis and to the city of Pella that the Christians fled!

It was 66 A.D.

A Roman General named Cestius surrounded the city of Jerusalem with a great many Roman troops. The Jews were rebelling against Rome again, and Rome was tired to death of them. The Romans were fooling around with the Jews. Inside Jerusalem were giant numbers of people, taking shelter from the angry Romans. This was because it was an incredibly safe and strong-walled city. Secondly, it was packed because Cestius’s army had appeared during one of the great compulsory Jewish feasts when everyone came into Jerusalem to be at the Holy Temple.

For about 150 years, the Romans ruled over the notably stubborn and difficult Jewish people. They had endured many small rebellions and some larger ones, and they were just tired of them. They decided to make an all-out war against the Jews to humble them once and for all.

Inside the walls, people were of mixed minds. Some thought Yahuwah would save them by a great deliverance, as He sometimes did in ancient times. Others thought that Yahuwah had sent them many signs that He was displeased with them in recent years, and they didn’t believe that Yahuwah would help them against the Romans now.

But after Cestius had surrounded the city, having prepared to lay siege to it, he suddenly surprised everyone by lifting the blockade and marching his army off. I’ve yet to learn what his full intentions were. Opinions seem to differ, and they tend to favor him wanting to avoid a long and ultimately embarrassing siege against a well-defended city when other battles were being fought in a more direct fashion, battles that offered both glory and loot!

To the Jewish fighters inside the walls of Israel, it appeared that Yahuwah may have struck fear into the hearts of their enemies yet again. They were ecstatic when they had waited long enough to make sure that it wasn’t a ruse to draw them out. They determined to press the situation, and their army left the city to follow, find, and destroy these ‘frightened’ Romans.

The Jews did catch and destroy this Roman army near Bethoron (Beth Horon). About 5,300 Roman soldiers and 480 cavalry died when Eleazar Ben Simons led his Jewish troops against Cestius in battle. They even stole the Legion’s ‘eagle standard,’ a Legion’s particular battle emblem, on a tall pole. This represented a massive insult to the might of Rome and a great shame to the specific Legion that lost it.

But, at that time, in 66 A.D., inside of Jerusalem’s walls was a population of Christians that wanted no part of war or violence for any reason. And they had been divinely warned to leave the city because it would be destroyed – and they would be destroyed with it if they stayed.

66 A.D. – Jerusalem’s Christians Flee To Pella and the Decapolis Area! image

Such a victory against the well-trained Romans was quite a military accomplishment, but it buoyed the Jewish confidence to the point that they thought they could whip the feared and vaunted Romans anywhere, anytime, ultimately working to their destruction.

But, at that time, in 66 A.D., inside of Jerusalem’s walls was a population of Christians that wanted no part of war or violence for any reason. And they had been divinely warned to leave the city because it would be destroyed – and they would be destroyed with it if they stayed.

So, when the Jews sallied out over the horizon to catch the retreating Romans, they had their golden chance—their window of opportunity. The more patriotic and militant men among their Jewish countrymen were gone, chasing the enemy. And no one in the countryside would hold them back because there wasn’t anyone there. Everyone was hiding within whichever walled city they thought was closest and safest.

The Christians left out the gates of Jerusalem and went to the north, around 50 miles. Then, they crossed eastward toward the Jordan River and across it to Pella, where they took refuge for quite a time. It was about a 70-mile trip by the trails they likely used (according to maps I found of their suspected flight path, which are probably only estimates.)

And so, that’s how it came to be that, so far as various old writers knew, there weren’t any Christians killed within Jerusalem a couple of years later when the Roman soldiers, angry at the destruction of nearly an entire Legion of their brothers, laid long and bitter siege to Jerusalem, eventually breached the walls, and killed hundreds of thousands of Jews, destroyed their homes, and burnt Yahuwah’s temple to the ground, even prying the stone walls apart in search of melted gold.

But Yahuwah not only allowed it, He brought it about.

As Titus, the general in charge of the siege (and eventually the Emperor of Rome), said: ‘It is no great accomplishment to defeat a people abandoned by their god.’

There are no safer people when obedient people wait in faith in times of dire need, counting on Yahuwah and Yahushua for their rescue. Who can steal Yahuwah’s children from His hand? No one takes a sheep from Yahushua unless it is part of some plan that more greatly serves Yahuwah’s kingdom than the survival of that sheep. And Yahushua’s followers have been warned, even promised, that they will have problems and trials on this side of their death but eternal life on the other.

As Yahushua himself stated, he is the single way offered to man to obtain salvation. But just knowing who He is will not suffice to save your soul.

66 A.D. – Jerusalem’s Christians Flee To Pella and the Decapolis Area! image

As Yahushua himself stated, he is the single way offered to man to obtain salvation. But just knowing who He is will not suffice to save your soul. Yahushua’s enemies understand who He is.

Being a heck of a guy or a great lady will not save you. You are well-liked among men, but men don’t cleanse the sinner. Only Yahushua can. And Yahushua requires that you believe His teachings, repent of your sin, be baptized in His name, and give the rest of this worldly life to Him so that He can use you to reach others and so that you can share in His sacrifice by giving yourself to the welfare of your fellow man just as Yahushua gave Himself for you. Persevere in this, and with faith, we are told that we can obtain salvation despite our inability ever to reach the standards for behavior that would qualify us to live in the purity required by Yahuwah.

Seize your chance. Believe the Son of Yahuwah sent for you, the fallen sinner! Commit to Yahushua with your life. Yahuwah has loved you since the beginning of all time², but so precious a gift had to be given to save you that there will be great anger toward you if you spurn that gift.

¹ Image from alextravel.world/jordans-ancient-city-of-pella

² “For Yahuwah so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For Yahuwah sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Yahuwah. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:16-19)

This is a non-WLC article by Daniel Curry.

Some people make predicting Yahushua’s return a full-time hobby. Does Matthew 24 contain the signs needed to predict Christ’s return?

Church history is replete with examples of sensational “prophets” who have attracted public attention by claiming to know the time of the Lord’s return.

Are There ”Signs” of the Second Coming of Christ? image

William Miller, founder of the Adventist movement, announced that Christ would come in 1843; when that prediction failed, a revision was made and 1844 was set. That “prophecy” also has proved to be somewhat short of the mark.

Joseph Smith, of Mormon fame, taught that Christ would come no later than 1891, but he missed it too.

C. T. Russell, the founder of the Watchtower organization, declared that the Second Coming would occur in 1914.

One of the more recent prognosticators is Hal Lindsey, author of the popular book The Late Great Planet Earth, who has argued that the “signs” of Matthew 24 indicate that Yahushua will return to Earth by about 1988.

Lindsey arrives at this conclusion by suggesting that the “generation” that witnessed the rebirth of Israel in 1948 would also witness the Lord’s return. Since a generation is supposed to be about forty years, Lindsey surmises that Christ will return to effect the “rapture” (a notion without biblical support) by about 1988. He further concludes that since the rapture will be followed by a seven-year “tribulation” period, Yahushua will visibly appear by about 1995 to win the “Battle of Armageddon” and thus commence his earthly millennial reign.

As we mentioned above, the alleged proof for the view that the Lord would return by 1995 or so was said to be found in Matthew, chapter twenty-four.

The Olivet Sermon is divided into two major sections: first, Yahushua dealt with the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the “signs” that would herald that event; second, he spoke of his final return and the lack of signs that would characterize that occasion.

Are There ”Signs” of the Second Coming of Christ? image

As the Lord departed from Jerusalem (Matt. 24:1,2), his disciples called his attention to the temple buildings. The Lord then asked: “Do you not see all of these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be one stone upon a, that shall not be thrown down.” The Savior spoke of that incredible destruction of Jerusalem, which would be accomplished some forty years later.

As they sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked the Lord when “these things” would be and what would be the “sign” of his coming and the end of the world. They likely assumed that the temple’s destruction and the world’s end would coincide. Christ, in the discourse to follow, sought to correct their misconception.

The Olivet Sermon is divided into two major sections: first, Yahushua dealt with the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the “signs” that would herald that event (4-34); second, he spoke of his final return and the lack of signs that would characterize that occasion (35ff).

It is undoubtedly a sad tragedy that hysterical speculators on Bible prophecy would take those “signs” that have to do solely with the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and attempt to give them a modern application in the context of a nuclear Armageddon!

The Signs

The signs which the Lord mentioned are found in Matthew 24:4-14. We will not take the time to discuss these in this article. Still, it is sufficient to say that every single one of them was fulfilled within the forty-year span between the time of the Lord’s discourse and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Let us recommend three good sources of material in this connection:

J. Marcellus Kik, Matthew XXIV, Presbyterian & Reformed, 1948.
Roy Deaver, “Matthew 24” in Premillennialism — True Or False?, Wendell Winkler, Ed. , 1978, pp. 105ff.
Cecil May, “Matthew 24,” The Biblical Doctrine of Last Things, David Lipe, Ed., 1984, pp. 115ff.

These are excellent study materials for this theme.

In the balance of this article I want to conclusively show that the “signs” of Matthew 24:4-14 could not find their fulfillment in the final return of Christ.

Four strong arguments show that the signs of Matthew 24:4ff relate to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

“This generation shall not pass away until …”

The expression “all these things” refers to the signs that the Lord had given. And “all these things”—the signs—were to be accomplished before “this generation” passed away.

Are There ”Signs” of the Second Coming of Christ? image

First, in that great verse that marks the “continental divide” of the chapter, Yahushua plainly said: “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished” (34). The expression “all these things” refers to the signs that the Lord had given. And “all these things”—the signs—were to be accomplished before “this generation” passed away.

The question is—what is the meaning of “this generation”? Dispensationalists are fond of saying that “generation” refers to “race;” hence, it is merely an allusion to the Jewish race; and so, the Lord was indicating that these signs would be fulfilled while the Jewish race was being preserved (cf. The Scofield Reference Bible).

However, such a view of “generation” is at variance with the use of that word in the New Testament. In their Greek Lexicon, Arndt & Gingrich comment that genea [“generation”] refers basically to “the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time generation, contemporaries” (p. 153). A survey of several passages in Matthew’s gospel will quickly confirm this (cf. 11:16; 12:39,41,42,45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:36). Clearly then, the signs of the Olivet lesson were confined to the first century.

Important ancient details

Though Lindsey and others contend that Matthew 24’s descriptions suggest a 20th-century international nuclear conflict, contextual considerations reveal that the Lord clearly had reference to an ancient and local situation.

Consider the following factors:

Christ specified that the coming destruction would involve the ancient temple area [“the holy place” – 24:15] and the city of Jerusalem (cf. Lk. 21:20).
The disciples of Judea were warned to “flee unto the mountains” (16)—instructions that would hardly seem valid in a time of atomic attack! However, according to the testimony of the historian Eusebius, Christians fled to Pella east of the Jordan River before Jerusalem’s invasion and were thus spared the fate of the Jews.
The Lord warned: “Let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things in his house” (17). Again, such instruction would scarcely make sense if the Savior had spoken of a modern nuclear assault. But it made perfect sense because the houses of old Jerusalem were flat-roofed and adjacent to one another. Accordingly, Christians might proceed, via “the road of roofs,” to the city’s edge and escape (cf. Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, p. 93).
The admonition, “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter” (20) anticipates primitive conditions when travel would be difficult.
“Pray ye that your flight be … neither on the sabbath” takes into account the fact that the gates of the ancient city would be closed on the sabbath (cf. Neh. 13:19) a fact, of course, which did not obtain after the destruction of the city.

Yahushua’s teaching regarding the Second Coming

The illustrations introduced by Yahushua to ensure preparedness for his Second Coming preclude the possibility of signs being given to determine the time of that event.

In several vivid historical illustrations, the Lord declared that no time indicators would be given to signal his Return; instead, Judgment Day would catch men unawares..

Are There ”Signs” of the Second Coming of Christ? image

In several vivid historical illustrations, the Lord declared that no time indicators would be given to signal his Return; instead, Judgment Day would catch men unawares.

Note the following:

As the people of Noah’s day continued their regular business “until the day” that the flood came, “so shall be the coming of the Son of man” (38,39).
The people of ancient Sodom were unaware of the impending disaster until “the day that Lot went out from Sodom,” even so, “after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed” (Lk. 17:28-30).
Christ declared that he would come unexpectedly, even as a thief does. “If the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh” (43,44; cf. 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).
The parable of the virgins in Matthew 25 indeed teaches the lesson of constant preparation, for the bridegroom will come at the most unexpected time [the midnight hour — a most surprising time for a wedding!].

Nothing in Matthew 24 supports the theory that Christ gave some signs that would herald the end of the world.

Yahushua’s own words

“But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.” (Matt. 24:36)

Are There ”Signs” of the Second Coming of Christ? image

One of the most persuasive points demonstrating that the Lord gave no signs by which the end of time could be calculated is the affirmation of verse 36. “But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.”

The argument is devastating: though Yahushua gave the signs of Matthew 24:4-14, not even he knew when the time of his Second Coming would occur. It must therefore be obvious to anyone (save those totally deceived) that the signs of Matthew 24 can in no way be employed to figure the time of the Lord’s Return!

Does it not seem odd that modern “prophets” can read Matthew 24 and predict the time of the end of the world; yet not even he who spoke the message was able to so decipher it?!

There are no signs concerning the time of the end of this age. Let us strive, therefore, to be always prepared for the Lord’s Return, or death, whichever comes first.

This is a non-WLC article by Wayne Jackson.

two-witnesses-in-the-scriptures-revelation-11-explained

Who on earth are the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11, and how are we supposed to interpret this passage of Scripture? If you’ve come with questions, then today I’ve got answers. Let’s begin with a text. Revelation 11:3-6 says the following:

“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. ⁶These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

As is the case with everything in John’s Revelation, there is nothing new here, only old things—that is, Old Testament things—in new clothes, and the Two Witnesses are no different.

Two Witnesses in the Scriptures (Revelation 11 Explained) image

As is the case with everything in John’s Revelation, there is nothing new here, only old things—that is, Old Testament things—in new clothes, and the Two Witnesses are no different. The following seven statements will help us to identify these figures. They will also lead us to some surprising insights into the thought world of the Bible.

1. The Two Witnesses are Moses and Elijah.
Look at the text. Elijah calls down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18). It is Elijah who shut the sky so that it would not rain. It is Moses who struck the Nile and turned it into blood. It was Moses who struck the land of Egypt with plagues. If the Scriptures are of any use in identifying these two figures, then the scriptures point to them being Moses and Elijah.

2. The same Two Witnesses show up in the Transfiguration.
If you are thinking, “But Moses and Elijah have already died—they won’t show up again,” then you need to revisit the story of the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. There, Moses and Elijah show up for a pow-wow with Yahushua, after which there is a cloud and a voice from heaven. Note that in the ascension of the two witnesses in Rev 11:12, there is also a cloud and a voice from heaven. John seems to have the transfiguration story in mind when he talks about the two witnesses. Maybe it’s because he was there.

3. The Two Witnesses stand for the Law and the Prophets.
Why those two people? And why do they show up to talk with Yahushua? It’s simple—Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets. In 1^st-Century-Jewish-Speak “The Law and the Prophets” is shorthand for the Bible. Not parts of the Bible, but the whole Bible as they then had it (cf. Matthew 7:12, 22:40, Luke 16:16, and others). Moses was considered responsible for the five books of the Torah (the Law), and Elijah had become a typological prophetic figure (see John the Baptist’s imitation of Elijah as a further reference point). Together, they summarize all of Yahuwah’s testimony. This, then, is why they are on the mount of Transfiguration: they are authorizing Yahushua. Furthermore, they disappear and Yahushua remains because Yahushua is the fulfillment and summary of all that is within the Law and the Prophets.

4. The two witnesses are ‘olive trees’ because they provide oil that lights the Church’s lamps.
This may sound about as obscure as it gets, but in Zechariah 4, the prophet sees a vision of two olive trees and two lamps. The olive trees provide constant and perpetual oil to the lamps to keep them lit. John has taken Zechariah’s image and applied it here. Therefore, if the Two Witnesses are the olive trees and the seven churches are the lamps then John’s point is pretty straightforward: it is the Law and the Prophets which provide the fuel on which the church’s light shines. If you’re not in the Scriptures, in other words, your light is on its way out.

Moses and Elijah fade from the transfiguration while Yahushua remains. He becomes, and remains, the summary of all Yahuwah’s will in history.

Two Witnesses in the Scriptures (Revelation 11 Explained) image

5. The Two Witnesses are summarized in Yahushua.
We have already seen Moses and Elijah fade from the transfiguration while Yahushua remains. He becomes, and remains, the summary of all Yahuwah’s will in history. (See also the Lamb who is worthy to open the scroll of history in Revelation 5.)

But there is other evidence as well. When the witnesses are killed, John says something a little odd in verse 8, “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.” Now, clearly, with the death, resurrection, and ascension of these Witnesses, we have Yahushua in view here. But John makes it a little more explicit when he points out that they’ve been killed in Sodom/Egypt/Jerusalem.

To make this more explicit, it is worth stating that everything Yahuwah has done in history is summarized in Yahushua. He is the foil, or the solution, to the mystery of history. Therefore, John feels free to tell both stories at once—the story of Yahuwah’s Two Witnesses as Yahushua and the story of Yahushua as Yahuwah’s Two Witnesses.

6a. The Two Witnesses perform a Deuteronomic function—i.e., they stand in judgment.
Here, now, is where things start to get interesting. We read in Deuteronomy 17:6, “On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.” Similarly, in Deuteronomy 19:15, “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” The Two Witnesses, in other words, are fulfilling the Deuteronomic requirement before passing a death sentence against the earth. These two—Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, the Scriptures—are the witnesses that confirm the death sentence against the world.

6b. Compare with Matthew 18.
Here, it is relevant to pause and consider one of the places where Yahushua quotes this Deuteronomy passage: Matthew 18. In the context of church discipline, Yahushua says, “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” “Two or three” is the number of witnesses required to pass a sentence—therefore, this is not a passage about forming a quorum for church, but about executing proper excommunications. (Note that Paul uses the same language in 1 Corinthians 5:3-5 when discussing expelling the immoral brother.)

When Yahushua sends out his disciples two by two (see Mark 6:7-13), he commands them to perform two functions—one is to witness to the Kingdom, and the other is to pronounce curses against those who reject the testimony.

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6c. Compare with Yahushua sending out his disciples two by two.
But one more comparison is also rather stunning. When Yahushua sends out his disciples two by two (see Mark 6:7-13), he commands them to perform two functions—one is to witness to the Kingdom, and the other is to pronounce curses against those who reject the testimony. Matthew even says (10:15) that it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than those cities on the Day of Judgment. Implication? The sending of pairs had a judicial function as much as anything else. Pairs of disciples served as the two witnesses necessary to condemn a place that had rejected the gospel.

7. The story of the two witnesses is the story of Yahuwah’s work throughout history.
This final point is drawn from the passage of Revelation more broadly. In chapter 10, John is commanded to eat a scroll that tastes good in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. This bittersweet scroll is the word of Yahuwah’s truth through history—sweet in the mouth because Yahuwah’s judgments are coming true, bitter in the stomach because of the pain and death that those judgments mean for the world.

That scroll, unrolled, is the story of Yahuwah’s Two Witnesses in history. They have testified since the dawn of time about Yahuwah’s character and ways (see Romans 1). The people of the earth have rejected Yahuwah’s ways (see Psalm 2). The people of the earth, in rebellion, have murdered Yahuwah’s prophets—particularly Yahuwah’s special prophet, Yahushua. But Yahuwah’s witness, and Yahuwah’s prophet, cannot be destroyed, and Yahuwah’s breath (see Ezekiel 37) comes back to reanimate his messengers. This result (see also Ezekiel 38) is the final judgment of the earth and the enemies of Yahuwah.

Yahuwah’s Law and Prophets are Two Witnesses who pass judgment against the world. The world has rejected and still rejects Yahuwah, but Yahuwah’s ways will still be victorious.

Two Witnesses in the Scriptures (Revelation 11 Explained) image

So, how do we summarize all of this? Yahuwah’s Law and Prophets are Two Witnesses who pass judgment against the world. The world has rejected and still rejects Yahuwah, but Yahuwah’s ways will still be victorious.

What does this mean for the Church? Well, it means a lot of stuff. It means that we are light for the world when we burn the oil of the Law and the Prophets—that is when we are a Scriptural people. It means that we know the content of our witness—and its authority—is derived from our Scriptures and not ourselves. We know that if we testify faithfully, we will make enemies of the world (i.e., that ‘successful’ witness is liable to get us killed). We know that, after the pattern of the Law, the Prophets, and our Lord, to speak the words of the gospel is to announce something that is both a curse and a blessing (a blessing for those who believe, a curse for those who disbelieve). We know that whether or not we are killed, Yahuwah will raise us from the dead with Christ, and so we have nothing to fear. And we know that whatever transpires, Yahuwah wins in the end. The word we preach comes true.

And here, the bending of John’s vision takes one last turn—not only are the Witnesses the Law and the Prophets, Moses and Elijah, and the Lord Yahushua Christ, but they are also you and me when we testify faithfully both to the believing and against the world. Revelation 11 isn’t so much a description of the future as it is a job description of the present. And that is something on which we had all best meditate seriously.

This is a non-WLC article by Jeremy Rios.